Colin’s Comments (group member since Dec 16, 2012)

Colin’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

The Aces Speak vol 2 will provide a lot of clarification to details mentioned by Adam in his book A Higher Call, regarding Johannes Steinhoff, Franz Stigler and the Gestapo. I gave him that info. It will also explain Hannes Trautloft and Adolf Galland saving the 168 allied airmen at Buchenwald scheduled for execution, also mentioned in A Higher Call. Stigler and experiences with JG-027 in Libya are also covered in my book The Star of Africa, which is considered a companion book to Adam's.

I have interviewed many people from the Waffen SS and a few who were kids in the Volksturm and Hitler Youth. Tragic tale indeed.

I will have to tell Barrett that his books are now on discount! He and I did a History Channel show, an episode of Dogfights a few years ago with a Luftwaffe fighter pilot friend of mine.

Another club in England is reading my last book, The Star of Africa, about Hans-Joachim Marseille and the air war in North frica, if anyone is interested.

FYI, for those who read my book The German Aces Speak, interviews with Adolf Galland (104 kills), Eduard Neumann (13 kills and Jans-Joachim Marseille's last CO), Wolfgang Falck (7 kills and Father of the Night Fighters), and Walter Krupinski (197 kills), I am now working with Anne in completing volume 2 in this series.

The interviewed subjests here in the next book are Johannes Steinhoff (176 kills), Erich Hartmann (352 kills), Gunther Rall (275 kills) and Dietrich Hrabak (125 kills.

Mike wrote: "Allan wrote: "This should be added to any aviation list Samurai! The Autobiography of Japan's Bravest Fighter Ace An awesome book"

I read that so long ago I forgot about it. But as soon as you men..."

Saburo was one of the best interviews I ever did along with my colleague, the late Jeff Ethell. The short interview was published in World war II magazine many years ago.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Some statistics from the Introduction to my book:

On the 2074 days between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945, Bomber Command:

operated on 1481 nights and 1059 days - 74.4 per cent of all the nights..."

Read my book night Fighters, packed with interviews and Bomber Command stats.

Dachokie wrote: "Over 30 years ago, I had a healthy addiction to the Bantam series of World War II books. It was a superb and extensive series of books that had illustrations peppered throughout. Unfortunately, I ..."

Ray Toliver and Trevor Constable were good friends, and Trevor is still alive. He proof reads a lot of my Luftwaffe stuff, and Ray left me his archive of photos and interview materials, including research. Horrido! was the first book on aviation I ever read, and when stationed in Europe, that was what started me on the path of locating, befriending and interviewing all the surviving aces. A few of the men in this book are still alive. This book has always been a go to source for me as I write my books.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "For those members who enjoy reading about the USMC and their battles during WW2 this new book may interest a few here:

[bookcover:Voices of the Pacific: Untold Stories from the Marine Heroes of Wo..."

My friend Adam wrote this book, and I proof read it. Excellent indeed and highly recommended.

I would also suggest two books by my good friend and colleague Dr. Bryan Mark Rigg, 'Hitler's Jewish Soldiers" and 'Rescued from the Reich' regarding the Holocaust also.

My friend Adam Makos who wrote 'A Higher Call' would be please that you are discussing his book, and I was proud that he asked me to work on it with him, and supply him with data from my interviews with Galland, Steinhoff, Stigler and others.

Remember that 980,000 men served in the Waffen SS alone, and only 240,000 were ethnic Germans and or Austrians. The rest were European volunteers, making up 28 Divisions and five additional regiments.

Jim wrote: "check out
Terror in the Balkans : German armies and partisan warfare / Ben Shepherd.
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2012 and this multi volume work The war diaries of Vladimir Dedij..."

Ben Shepherd is a friend and colleague, ever since his days at the University of Birmingham, England. His research is solid.

People think that the Tiatnic was the worst maritime disaster in terms of human life being lost. The Wilhelm Gustloff actually has that distinction.

Hermann Goering placed a 100,000 mark price tag on both Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable during the war. The fighter pilot who got either man would live large. Hitler matched that, as Eva Braun's favorite film was Gone With the Wind, and she wanted to meet Gable. True story.

Gerald wrote: "Yesterday, I ordered Robert Dorr's "Mission to Berlin.""

"Bob" prefers to go by Robert, and he is a personal friend and a great historian, and the book is outstanding.

Maybe they will want to consider my book The Me-262 Stoormbird. But my friend Robert F. Dorr's books are also very good. Of course, my buddy Adam Makos' book A Higher Call is noteworthy.

Not sure, but for aviation some may like my book The Me-262 Stormbird. This is a history of the jet, but heavy with the first person comments from Allied and German pilots, as they discussed the war, politics and their personal battles either in or against the jets in the airwar. My website has more details, and a dedicated page.

We also have The German Aces Speak, full interviews, first person, and The Star of Africa, covering the life of hans-Joachim Marseille, heavy with comments from other pilots who knew him or flew against him in North Africa and Europe.

happy wrote: "I'm also adding


to my reading list for this theme read

So I guess I will be reading at least 2 for this read"

I knew and interviewed Jimmy Stewart, great guy.

Good book indeed. My book German Anti-Partisan Warfare in Europe, 1939-1945 (2000) covers a lot of the SOE and OSS operations, with interviews and new information that irritated a few people. Destroying old myths is a tough job.